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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24868837">Sunsets, Sea Breezes, and Stand-In Honeymooners</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoucantnemo/pseuds/butyoucantnemo'>butyoucantnemo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Honeymoon, Idiots in Love, Miscommunication, Sharing a Bed, Vacation, but they’re not really enemies, slight AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:28:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,233</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24868837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/butyoucantnemo/pseuds/butyoucantnemo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ricky and Nini have been enemies for years now and are forced to act civil as the best man and maid of honor at EJ and Gina’s wedding. But when everyone at the wedding except for Ricky and Nini gets a bad case of food poisoning, Gina and EJ send them on their non-refundable, all-expenses-paid honeymoon to Hawaii. What could go wrong?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>E.J. Caswell/Gina Porter, Ricky Bowen &amp; Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>148</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone! </p><p>A few things to note:<br/>-this story is a loosely based hybrid of “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren and the movie “Just Go With It”<br/>-this is my first time writing in this fandom so go easy on me lol<br/>-I’m not the best at updating stories quickly but I’ve been more motivated than normal to write so hopefully I can finish the story in no time :)<br/>-here’s the link to what I imagined Gina’s wedding dress would look like, just in case anyone wanted to know: https://graceloveslace.com/shop/wedding-dresses/honey-silk/<br/>-lastly, all mistakes are mine and I hope you guys enjoy this!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The wedding itself was fantastic; the aftermath…not so much. </p><p> </p><p>The ceremony took place under hordes of spanish moss trees decorated in classy fairy lights, creating a fairytale-like, whimsical atmosphere that Nini was immediately enamored with. Gina looked positively <em> stunning </em> in her figure-hugging, silk wedding dress featuring a long train and modest spaghetti straps while EJ looked equally as handsome in his light grey suit and red tie, matching his groomsmens’ ties and the bridesmaids' dresses. Nini couldn’t help the tears that sprung to her eyes as she stood next to the bride as her maid of honor, watching her best friend and the brother-she-never-had promise to spend the rest of their lives together. </p><p> </p><p>Her smile dropped ever-so slightly when her gaze fell on EJ's best man, Ricky Bowen. Ricky Bowen, otherwise known as the bane of Nini’s existence, the most insufferable person on the planet, the ever infuriating man <strike>who was too handsome for his own good</strike>; the list could go on and on. </p><p> </p><p>Things had been that way between Ricky and Nini for years. It was pretty hard to believe that they’d once been the best of friends during their early college days. Now, though, they couldn’t stand each other, but kept their limited interactions <em> somewhat </em> civil for the sake of their best friends and everyone else around them.</p><p> </p><p>(At this point, Ricky wasn’t even sure why their hatred for each other was so strong, but it had been that way for far too long to change anything or question it.)</p><p> </p><p>Anyways, despite Ricky being there—stealing glances over at her and smirking as he glanced appreciatively up and down at her body in her bright red, silky, floor-length bridesmaid dress—her joy for the happy couple barely wavered as she watched and listened to the officiant declare her best friends as man and wife. She even let out a loud whoop and holler when EJ dipped Gina in his arms to plant the official kiss on her eager, awaiting lips. </p><p> </p><p>Still, Nini couldn’t help but grimace a little when Gina and EJ walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, requiring her to link arms with Ricky and follow behind the happy couple, like they’d practiced many times before. </p><p> </p><p>“Milady, I must say, you are looking <em> quite </em> ravishing tonight,” Ricky teasingly whispered into her ear, a slightly condescending smirk finding its way on his lips, a sight not uncommon to Nini. </p><p> </p><p>“And you look…,” Nini paused, looking up and down at him in his fitted grey suit, “...meh.” She shrugged with a playful frown on her face, ignoring the nagging in her brain telling her that Ricky looked fucking hot and she <em> knew </em>it. Shaking her head, she turned her gaze away from her ”sworn enemy” to look at the wedding attendees, smiling kindly when she saw some people she recognized. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky scoffed good-naturedly at her comment. He knew by now not to let Nini’s indifferent comments deeply affect him; in fact, he secretly loved any chance he got to get Nini to say something to or about him, not that he’d actually admit that to anyone but himself. </p><p> </p><p>For being quote-unquote enemies, Nini and Ricky were extremely comfortable in each other’s company, not minding the silence that fell upon them as they finished their walk down the aisle and made their way over to where Gina and EJ were already getting their pictures taken, neither of them noticing that they were still walking next to each other, Nini’s left arm linked through Ricky’s right. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>After a while, the photographer took all the necessary pictures and more, and soon enough, everyone involved in the picture taking process made their way to the reception hall—located close to where the ceremony was held—to join the other guests of the wedding for the after party. </p><p> </p><p>The reception kicked off with a gourmet seafood feast, which Ricky and Nini didn’t partake in—Ricky because of a shellfish allergy that caused his throat to close up if he ever consumed any and Nini because she absolutely <em> hated </em>the taste of seafood. </p><p> </p><p>“Milady,” Ricky said as he sarcastically bowed to her, handing her a plate of food when he returned to their round table housing the rest of the wedding processional. Nini couldn’t even find it in herself to be annoyed as he plopped down in the seat right next to her, instead focusing on the delicious plate of food. In front of her rested a humongous plate of Brazilian black beans and rice, topped with farofa and featuring a side of seasoned kale chips and golden brown pão de queijo. She was only broken out of her dream-like haze by the sound of glass being clinked, watching dumbly as Ricky poured them both glasses of her favorite Guaraná soda that he surely must’ve pulled out of a hat when she wasn’t looking. </p><p> </p><p>“How…,” Nini trailed off before seeing Ricky smile shyly at her, setting the bottle of soda down on the table next to his identical plate of food. </p><p> </p><p>“Well,” Ricky started, an uncharacteristic blush flowering on his cheeks as he chuckled weakly, avoiding her eyes. “EJ was in charge of planning for the food and he knew that I couldn’t eat the seafood and you wouldn’t want to, so he asked me if there was an alternative we’d specifically like to have instead. And I…I remember you telling Gina once about how your Mama C spent a few years in Brazil on a mission trip when she was younger and how she picked up a few things while living there, like how to cook traditional Brazalian meals. And you said black beans and rice was your favorite meal ever, so I…well, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” By the end of his explanation, he was rolling his eyes, acting all nonchalant at the whole thing, but Nini couldn’t help the butterflies that erupted in her stomach at his thoughtfulness. <em> He did this just for me? </em>she mused to herself as she continued to stare at the boy beside her. </p><p> </p><p>After a few uncomfortable moments of Nini staring and Ricky avoiding her gaze, she snapped out of it and turned back to her delicious plate of food, watching the steam rise up for the beans and the bubbles fizz in her soda. </p><p> </p><p>“I…thank you, Ricky,” Nini whispered. Now it was her turn to avoid his gaze, pointedly grabbing her fork and mixing her beans and rice as Ricky’s head snapped up, shocked at the sincere, earnest words that came from the girl beside him. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, no problem, princess.” The use of his nickname for her caused whatever bubble they were in to pop, with Nini rolling her eyes and digging into her plate while Ricky smirked and eagerly copied her actions, excited to try the highly anticipated meal. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Dinner was out of this world, if you asked Ricky and Nini. Ricky kept moaning in ecstasy and sighing happily at the heavenly taste of the meal in his mouth while Nini playfully but repeatedly slapped his shoulder, stifling her laughter and weakly attempting to shush him when his moans garnered the attention of a few nearby tables and laughs from everyone else at their table. </p><p> </p><p>It was weird, seeing Ricky and Nini interact without either of them spewing backhanded compliments at the other to get a rise out of them. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere of the wedding? Maybe it was because they bonded over the celestial taste of her most favorite meal in the world? Maybe it was because they were more similar than either of them remembered, and actually <em> enjoyed </em>each other’s company when they forgot they were supposed to hate each other?</p><p> </p><p>Either way, they had a great night. Dinner was followed by speeches from the wedding processional—Nini’s was a tear-jerker, full of heartfelt memories and loving words while Ricky’s was more lighthearted and humorous—and a huge dance party in the middle of the room. </p><p> </p><p>Gina and EJ gracefully flitted around the floor during their first dance, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms as EJ softly sang along to their favorite song in her ear. And though Nini should’ve been paying attention to the newlyweds and their first official dance, she found himself unable to focus on anything except the charming man seated to the right of her—how close Ricky was sitting to her and how he was leaning slightly to his left into her general area, the way his fingers flexed and moved as he drummed them lightly on his legs to the music, how that one curl at the very front of his face always rebelled against the other curls and stood out against his forehead, and how the skin around his eyes crinkled in thought when she caught him staring and he quickly avoided her gaze. <em> Stop it, </em> she mused to herself while sneaking another glance at him, <em> you’ve hated him for years now and that’s not gonna change just because he’s charming your skirt off. </em> </p><p> </p><p>Little did she know that right next to her, Ricky was having some of the same thoughts. He was hyper aware of the way her lightly curled, hazelnut hair cascaded over her tanned shoulders, how she unconsciously swayed to the music in her seat and mouthed the words to the song, how the barely visible golden specks in her eyes twinkled as she took in her surroundings, and the way she leaned slightly to her right, a welcome invasion into his personal space. <em> Stop it, </em> he chastised himself with a shake of the head, <em> she hates your guts and you’re supposed to hate her’s, too.  </em></p><p> </p><p>With a final shake of the head as the couple invited the guests to join them on the dance floor, Ricky rose from his seat and moved to stand in front of Nini, temporarily blocking her view of the dance floor. As she opened her mouth to complain about the obstruction, Ricky haughtily cleared his throat and bowed dramatically, holding his hand out in front of him for her to take. “Milady?” he spoke in an overabundant posh voice, causing Nini to cover up a giggle with a cough. “Can I have this dance?”</p><p> </p><p>Deciding to humor him for once, Nini too cleared her throat and adopted the posh persona. “Why of course, milord. You may have this dance.” With that, she grasped his hand and stood up, doing an adorable little curtsy before pulling him to the edge of the dance floor. Ricky hesitantly wrapped his arm around her waist, worried that he was overstepping, especially since just earlier that day they couldn’t stand to be with each other for more than two minutes at a time. When Nini relaxed into his touch, he delicately placed his hand on the small of her back, relishing in the comfort her presence brought as she scooted even closer to him, enough to lay her head on his chest. </p><p> </p><p>And that’s how they spent the most of their night. They didn’t talk much—they didn’t have to, they just weirdly understood each other like that sometimes—but they never left each other’s arms. Well…not until the newly married couple glided over to them and asked Nini to sing their favorite of her original songs for them. Reluctantly, Ricky had let go of her, immediately missing the warmth she provided, and went to sit down at their table while she made her way to the stage, introducing herself shyly before letting everyone hear her angelic singing. </p><p> </p><p>She was incredible, if Ricky did say so himself; he’d always adored her singing voice, willingly going to some of her gigs at local coffee shops and bars when they’d been best friends in the beginning of college. But it was strange: at one of Nini’s gigs at the bar, she had been twitching nervously but excitedly rambled to him and the rest of their friend group about performing all of her original songs before her gig, but after her set, she wouldn’t look him in the eye. After that night, Nini had acted cold towards him, never giving him the time of day, which only caused him to be snarky and snide right back to her as his patience for her sudden attitude ran thinner and thinner. </p><p> </p><p>He was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of clapping, realizing he missed almost the entirety of Nini’s song, but he was too busy reflecting on past memories to feel bad about not paying attention. </p><p> </p><p>When Nini made her way back to their table, her face wistful as she watched the bride and groom dance around the room, Ricky lightly nudged her shoulder. “You sounded great up there,” Ricky said, even though he missed most of her song due to his Nini-filled thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>His words caused a strange look to pass over her face and when she mumbled a thank you to him, her smile didn’t seem anywhere near as genuine as earlier and her eyes lacked the warmth and sincerity from before, confusing Ricky to no end. <em> Was it something I said? </em> he pondered to himself as he stared bemusedly at the woman who was slowly letting her walls back up right in front of his eyes. <em> No, it couldn’t have been. I paid her a genuine compliment for once. So what was it? </em></p><p> </p><p>Before he could question her odd behavior or ask if she was okay, Nini shot up from her seat, avoiding eye contact with him as she gathered her belongings from the table. Clearing her throat as her eyes nervously darted around the room, she whispered in a feeble voice, “I, uh…yeah, I should get going.” She paused to let out an over-exaggerated, unauthentic yawn before saying, “You know, tired and all. I…yeah, I’ll see you around, I guess.” With that she made a quick retreat out of the reception hall, not before stopping to congratulate her best friends on their marriage. She spared a quick glance at the enormous room, catching Ricky’s gaze as his eyes burned with millions of unanswered questions and a dusting of disappointment. Not one to dwell, she turned around and headed out the door, into the night, Ricky’s stare burning a hole in the back of her head as she walked through the threshold.</p><p> </p><p>And that was that.</p><p> </p><p>Until….</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>As it turns out, the seafood everyone but Nini and Ricky ate was bad news and gave all the guests, including the bride and groom, a particularly nasty case of food poisoning. </p><p> </p><p>Gina had frantically called Nini the morning after her wedding, crying over the toilet as explained the situation to Nini. The newlyweds had planned to spend two days in their new apartment before leaving on their honeymoon to Hawaii, but thanks to the ever-present ciguatera poisoning, their plans for a honeymoon were flushed down the toilet. </p><p> </p><p>Nini repeated over and over how sorry she was, but her best friend quickly stopped her sympathetic rambling and spoke up. “Well, this obviously means we can’t go on our honeymoon—I mean, we’ll be down for the count for at least a week, maybe two.” When Nini began to spew more apologies at her friend’s words, Gina cut her off once again and said, “And unfortunately for us, everything we booked is nonrefundable, so…maybe you’d wanna go in my place?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Nini squawked in disbelief through her phone, collapsing roughly on to her living room sofa at her best friend’s suggestion. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s not like I have any siblings and every other family member I could potentially offer it to has food poisoning too. Plus, you’re my best friend, Neens, and you deserve a nice vacation. So what do you say? Wanna enjoy my honeymoon for me?”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>In the end, after more convincing than what should be strictly necessary, Nini agreed to take Gina’s spot on her honeymoon in Hawaii. Sure, she already felt incredibly guilty for getting to enjoy the vacation while Gina and EJ were stuck in bed fighting off their illnesses, but 1) it was Hawaii, 2) it was an all-expenses-paid trip, and 3) Gina was right: Nini really did need a nice vacation. </p><p> </p><p>In fact, Nini had needed a vacation more than anything now; she’d recently been laid off from her job at a middle school in town due to massive budget cuts and had spent <em> forever </em> trying to find available teaching jobs in the Salt Lake City vicinity. Finally, <em> finally, </em>she got a teaching job at her old highschool, coincidentally at the same place Gina, EJ, and Ricky all worked; Gina as an American history teacher and competitive cheerleading coach, EJ as both a P.E. and water polo coach, and Ricky as a music teacher and co-director with Miss Jenn for all of the school plays. </p><p> </p><p>Anyways, moral of the story: Nini had been stressed and anxious for the better part of two months and desperately needed a breath of fresh air before she had to fully immerse herself in her new job. </p><p> </p><p>Expect…Gina neglected to tell her that she and EJ had extended the same invitation to Ricky, much to Nini’s surprise. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Three days after the wedding, Nini was packed and ready to go, taking a cab to the airport at what felt like the crack of dawn. She had sluggishly made her way through the airport, sorting out her boarding pass and ticket, checking in her luggage, making her way through security with her carry-on bag, and finally having more than enough time to get herself a coffee and croissant breakfast sandwich before sitting down at her boarding gate to wait for her call. </p><p> </p><p>As she sat in one of the waiting area seats, eating her breakfast and watching people as they passed, her mind drifted to the curly-haired boy that had filled her dreams ever since the wedding. She couldn’t help it: every time she closed her eyes or had a moment of peace, all she could picture was the boy she had hated for years smiling softly at her while they danced the night away, her in that beautiful red dress and him in his debonair grey suit and red tie. </p><p> </p><p>All of a sudden, as Nini peered off in the distance, the same boy that had constantly been on her mind casually strolled by, too busy chowing down on his own breakfast sandwich to notice her as he took a seat a couple rows away from her.</p><p> </p><p>Nini could only stare in shock at Ricky, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Seemingly sensing a pair of eyes on him, he turned his head and locked his gaze with her, dropping his half-eaten sandwich on the floor in shock as he did a double take, his jaw also dropping. </p><p> </p><p>“The <em> hell are you doing here?</em>” Nini practically screeched, causing a few bystanders to turn to her and glare mildly. </p><p> </p><p>“What am <em> I </em> doing here? What are <em> you </em>doing here?” Ricky retorted back, desperately attempting to recollect himself. He picked up his ruined breakfast, throwing it in a nearby garbage can before grabbing his things and walking the short distance to Nini, plopping down in the seat to the right of her. </p><p> </p><p>“I asked you first,” Nini mumbled, still shocked and hesitant to believe he was actually there in front of her instead of in her dreams.</p><p> </p><p>“If you must now, Your Highness,” he sniped sarcastically, trying not to break character when he saw Nini fight back a smile as she overdramatically rolled her eyes, “Gina and EJ called me the day after their wedding and asked me if I wanted to take their places and go on their honeymoon since they have food poisoning.”</p><p> </p><p>Time stood still for Nini the moment he finished explaining his presence to her. All the color drained from her face, the smile she was desperately trying to conceal was wiped clean off of her face, and she looked like she’d seen a ghost.</p><p> </p><p>Worried, Ricky brought his hands up to her shoulders, gently shaking her in hopes of pulling her from her trance. “Nini, hey. Earth to Nini? What’s going on?”</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes snapped suddenly to his, widening even more than before as she repeatedly closed and opened her mouth, no sound coming out of it. </p><p> </p><p>“Nini, this isn’t funny. What’s the matter?” Ricky asked, his voice more serious than she’d heard in years. </p><p> </p><p>Finally, she whispered, “You…,” before closing her mouth again and shaking her head again. She finally got her bearings together, looking around at her surroundings again before zeroing in on the boy in front of her. “You’re going on the honeymoon too?”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you…uh, what do you mean ‘too’?” Ricky questioned, letting out a nervous laugh. When Nini’s expression didn’t change, his face morphed into one of disbelief as he put the pieces together. “We…you…we’re going on their honeymoon together?”</p><p> </p><p>Not bothering to sugarcoat the situation, Nini just nodded numbly, watching with rapt attention as Ricky let go of his hold of her shoulders and blew out a big breath, slumping down in his seat and running a hand down in face. </p><p> </p><p>“Did…so Gina and EJ didn’t mention anything to you either?” Nini questioned, still not quite believing what was happening at that very moment. She half expected Ashton Kutcher to pop out of nowhere and tell her she’d been punk’d, but when she looked around, all she saw were crowds of normal people, none with cameras or any indicators that she was in fact being filmed for the reality television show. </p><p> </p><p>“Nope,” he sighed, hand still covering his face. After a few silent moments, he sighed once again and sat back up, removing his hand from his face and turning his body towards the brunette on his left. “All they said was how much I needed this vacation and how someone <em> had </em> to go on it since they couldn’t. But they never said anything about anyone else tagging along.”</p><p> </p><p>Blowing out a breath, she nervously ran her fingers along her scalp, focusing on the movements of her hand through her soft hair instead of the stress gradually overtaking her.</p><p> </p><p>“Look,” Ricky sighed for the millionth time, looking her straight in the eyes, “it doesn’t matter that they didn’t tell us. Let’s just suck it up and enjoy this vacation, awkwardness be damned.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Easier said than done, </em>Nini thought to herself with a huff. This was her “enemy” after all; how was she supposed to survive a week-long vacation with the man she was supposed to hate but who she was actually a little bit infatuated with? Correction: <em>very </em>infatuated with. Steeling herself, Nini nodded confidently and said, “Right. We can suck it up for Gina and EJ’s sake. Plus, I’m kind of just ready to be laying on the beach, sipping a strawberry daiquiri in a place I’ve never visited before.” She nudged his shoulder playfully at the end of her statement, a genuine smile finding its way to her lips when he softly laughed and nudged her right back.</p><p> </p><p>With that, they turned forward in their seats, sitting close enough to be shoulder-to-shoulder and made light conversation before first class was called to board the plane, to which Ricky and Nini gathered their belongings and mentally prepared themselves for the week to come.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The plane ride was long, lasting a little around seven hours, but time passed quickly for Ricky and Nini as they sipped their champagne, ate <em> legitimately good </em> airplane food, and talked about anything and everything under the sun, ranging from their jobs to their favorite childhood memories to their biggest fears. </p><p> </p><p>Nini couldn’t deny her attraction for the curly haired boy any longer. She knew exactly what he did all of those years ago that made her turn cold towards him, but as they talked and relearned a lot about each other, she couldn’t help but feel silly for not giving him a chance all this time. It was instant, the comfort and familiarity she felt around him. She never really considered how at ease he could still make her feel because up until the wedding, she made it her mission not to interact with him for longer than two minutes. Regret started to blossom deep in her gut as she thought about all the time she wasted hating him over something so miniscule and trivial as him not liking her original songs, the ones she poured her heart and soul into.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But everytime she thought back to that night, she remembered how truly </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>minuscule and trivial it all was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>She still remembers that night so vividly; it was another one of her gigs at a bar nearby their college campus and after gig upon gig singing other people’s music, she was ready to spread her wings a little and present the world—and by world, she meant the semi-conscious patrons at the local bar and a few of her closest friends—with the original songs she had been writing ever since she was a little girl with a ukulele. She was so excited too, jumping up and down and rambling exuberantly to Ricky, Gina, EJ, and some of their other friends before she was set to play, despite the fear and anxiety creeping through her veins. But her exhilaration was short-lived when she looked over at Ricky during the bridge of one of the songs from her set—the song that was nearest and dearest to her heart for many reasons, most of which had to do with the boy in question—only to find a truly repulsed look on his face as he looked at her. Sure, she knew not everyone would love her songs but seeing such disgust and abhorrence from one of her best friends who was supposed to support her endlessly and feel the same feelings she did struck her hard in the chest and left her reeling; in fact, she couldn’t even finish her full set because of how nauseated and sick to her stomach she felt.</p><p> </p><p>After that night, she told herself that she wouldn’t associate herself with someone who wasn’t going to be supportive of her after she was continuously supportive of everything he did, sometimes passing up gigs for herself just to see him at his own gigs across town. <em>Really, he could’ve at least put on a brave face and pretended to not understand the meaning behind the song until the two of them could sort things out later, </em>she had thought bitterly to herself for months, maybe years, after that night. That’s what she kept telling herself, at least, choosing to ignore the real reason for her bitterness: the fact that she sang what was on her heart to the boy that had her heart, only for him to reject her with just one simple expression. Soon enough, her coldness towards him became second nature between them and the once best friends were considered “enemies” in what seemed like the blink of an eye.</p><p> </p><p>Anyways, Nini started regretting her harshness to him, telling herself she should’ve talked to him like a reasonable adult instead of holding a childish grudge against the boy just because he didn’t like the live song she spent forever writing and perfecting until she finally worked up the nerve to show it to someone other than her moms. <em> Yeah…it still stings a little</em>, she grimaced internally. </p><p> </p><p>But she decided not to dwell on those negative thoughts for too long and instead live in the moment with Ricky during their week together and see how things went from there. </p><p> </p><p>Once the plane landed and they collected their bags from the luggage carousel, Nini pulled up the address Gina sent her earlier of the hotel she and Ricky would be staying up. They found themselves a taxi and within twenty five minutes or so, Ricky and Nini were climbing out of the car, grabbing their suitcases from the trunk and making their way into the grand hotel.</p><p> </p><p>They both couldn’t contain their blatant looks of awe as they marveled at the grandness of the massive hotel, feeling like they were playing a part in a movie rather than real life. </p><p> </p><p>After longer than either of them were willing to admit, they composed themselves and made their way to the front desk to check in. </p><p> </p><p>When Ricky rang the bell, gathering the attention of the receptionist at the front desk, the woman politely greeted them. “Good morning. How may I help you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi there, we have a room booked under the name EJ Caswell,” Nini politely informed her, causing the receptionist to nod and type something into her computer.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, we have you right here. There was an update made two days ago that the reservation has been changed under the name Ricky Bowen. Are you the Bowen’s?”</p><p> </p><p>Before Nini could open her mouth and deny the woman’s claim that they were married, Ricky casually slung his arm around her shoulder, bringing her close to his chest as he smiled widely at the receptionist and said, “Yes, we’re the Bowen’s.” As the receptionist smiled and nodded once again before turning back to her computer, Ricky dropped his head down and placed a delicate kiss against Nini’s cheek, catching her off guard for a second.</p><p> </p><p>“And I was informed that this is your honeymoon?” the woman asked for confirmation.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s correct,” Ricky answered quickly, eyes sparkling with mischief as he looked back down at Nini.</p><p> </p><p>“Perfect,” the receptionist said to no one in particular before looking up from her monitor. “Here you are, Mr. and Mrs. Bowen. Complementary lunch will be served in approximately an hour, starting at 12:30 and lasting until 2. If you need anything during your stay, feel free to call the front desk from your room phone or stop here for assistance. I wish you a lovely honeymoon and an enjoyable stay here.” She handed them each a key card to their room as well as a pamphlet outlining all of the activities available at the hotel during the days. </p><p> </p><p>As soon as they walked away, out of sight of the kind receptionist, Nini smacked Ricky in the chest and hissed, “<em>The Bowen’s?</em>” Though she looked slightly annoyed with him, he noted with a hint of satisfaction and pride that she had yet to pull away from his embrace, instead moving closer into him as they made their way to the elevators.</p><p> </p><p>“Relax, milady. It was just easier to agree with her than correct her for a mistake as small as that,” Ricky assured the brunette as she pressed the button for their floor level.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” she murmured, confused by the disappointment she felt because of his words. It’s almost like she wanted him to admit that the thought of her being his wife was nice. <em> Don’t be an idiot, </em> she chastised herself, <em> he’s just playing a part.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Bewildered by her half-hearted—almost disappointed sounding— response, Ricky squeezed her shoulder lightly, wordlessly asking her if something was bothering her. When she just shook her head and smiled sweetly up at him, he relaxed and smiled back. </p><p> </p><p>Once they reached their floor level, they stepped out of the elevator and made their way down the hall with their suitcases and each other in their arms. Nini did the honors of sliding the key card in the lock, pushing the door open when they were granted access.</p><p> </p><p>The room was just as breathtaking as the rest of the hotel. <em> Gina and EJ really went all out, huh?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Their honeymoon suite was ginormous and featured an entire wall made up of just windows that overlooked the beautiful sandy beach and crystal blue ocean. The bathroom was glamorous and modern, featuring a jacuzzi that Nini was definitely going to enjoy at some later time. The two were so busy taking in all the room’s over-the-top features that they almost failed to notice one pivotal part of the room: there was only one bed. To be fair, their one bed was <em> massive</em>, big enough to comfortably fit four or five people at one time; but still, <em> there was only one bed</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Um…,” Nini murmured awkwardly when she noticed the bed, shifting from foot to foot as her eyes darted between the bed and Ricky’s face. </p><p> </p><p>“I can, uh…I can take the couch,” Ricky suggested as he scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit of his. Her gaze shifted to said couch, and though it looked quite plush and comfy, there was absolutely <em> no way </em>she was letting him spend a week sleeping on that thing when there was a perfectly comfortable and big enough bed right in front of them that they could easily share.</p><p> </p><p>“No,” she said firmly, setting her eyes back on him, “I’m not going to let you sleep there all week. There’s plenty of room in this bed for the both of us to sleep, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“You sure?” he questioned hesitantly, not letting it show how excited he was at the prospect of spending a week sharing a bed with one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure, Ricky. I promise.” With that, she smiled widely at him and proceeded to collapse onto the bed, sinking slightly into the extremely plush mattress. </p><p> </p><p>Chuckling and playfully rolling his eyes, Ricky kicked off his shoes and collapsed to the right of her, just now noticing how bone-tired he was from getting up super early to get to the airport on time and spending the majority of the day on an airplane. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky tucked both hands under his head and gazed softly at the sleepy girl next to him, noticing the deep bags under her eyes and the worry lines on her forehead, obviously caused by stress.</p><p> </p><p>Taking a chance, he untucked one of his hands from under his head and moved it to smooth the creases of her forehead, prompting Nini to slump in relief, a sleepy smile making its way onto her face as she closed her eyes. Soon enough, when the worry lines began to smooth out, he moved his hand over to her hair, tenderly massaging her scalp as she sighed in contentment at the movements. After a solid two minutes, Nini was conked out, breathing softly and looking the most peaceful and relaxed Ricky had ever seen her. And with one last look at the girl he was quickly falling in love with, he fell asleep right next to her, hand still in her hair.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Ricky was the first one to wake up from his nap, conscious of the weight pressed slightly on top of him, one of his arms curled around the girl’s back, and his other hand still resting in her soft, mango-scented hair. </p><p> </p><p>It took him a few minutes to adjust to his surroundings and open his eyes, immediately donning an affectionate smile when he looked at Nini who had somehow migrated into his arms during her slumber and was now drooling a little on his navy blue t-shirt. </p><p> </p><p>He’d never admit it to anyone else, but he spent longer than strictly necessary unabashedly staring at her effortless beauty and wishing on every shooting star for more moments like these during their vacation together. </p><p> </p><p>When his stomach let out an irritated grumble, Ricky craned his neck to look at the alarm clock on the nearest nightstand, noting that it was 1:56 in the afternoon. Knowing the need to get up and eat was inevitable, Ricky turned his attention back to Nini and ran his hand through her wavy hair, only making her stir and bury her face further into his chest. </p><p> </p><p>With a chuckle, he moved his hand down to her waist, knowing she was extremely ticklish there. As his fingers danced across her skin, Nini let out a few sleepy giggles and shook her head against his chest, still not opening her eyes. Since going easy on her obviously didn’t work, Ricky increased the pressure of his fingers against her side, causing a surprised gasp to escape from her lips as she squirmed in his arms, eyes still closed. He only relented when she slowly lifted her head so just her chin was resting on his chest and blinked blearily down at him. One of his hands remained wrapped around her back while he pulled the other back from her body to support his head as he looked at Nini. </p><p> </p><p>“What was that for?” she mumbled quietly, still fighting against her unceasing exhaustion. She slowly brought one hand up to her face, wiping the drool stains from her chin and looking slightly embarrassed.</p><p> </p><p>Smiling, Ricky rubbed his hand delicately over her back and murmured, “We’ve been asleep for over two hours and I'm starting to get really hungry. Wanna go get lunch somewhere?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Nini agreed, “lunch sounds good.” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, come on,” Ricky said, shifting slightly under her. “Let’s go eat.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Neither of them mentioned their hardcore cuddle session at lunch, but that didn’t mean they weren’t stealing sly glances at each other for the duration of their meal.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” Ricky started, bumping his shoulder playfully with her’s as they walked back to their hotel, “what should we do now?”</p><p> </p><p>Nini’s forehead crinkled in thought and after a few beats, she turned her head up to look at him. “Well…we’ve got a while until we’re hungry again for dinner. So I say we either go to the beach or hang by the pool. But it’s up you.”</p><p> </p><p>“The pool sounds good. That okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Perfect,” Nini replied with a pleased smile on her face. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p><em> Fuck, she looks so good, </em>Ricky thought to himself at the sight of Nini in a little striped bikini that perfectly completed her tan skin and toned body.</p><p> </p><p>He always knew Nini looked good—seriously, take one look at her—but something about them being on vacation together and her in a revealing bathing suit after they’d spent hours acting a little flirtier than usual made her all the more attractive to him. </p><p> </p><p>“Wow,” he whistled as she stepped out of the bathroom and moved to gather the rest of her things from the bed. “You…you looked amazing.”</p><p> </p><p>Nini blushed profusely and mumbled out a quick thanks, to which Ricky chuckled and shook his head at her sudden shyness. </p><p> </p><p>“You ready?” he asked, standing up from his seated position on the bed to slip on his flip flops and grab his sunglasses, key card, and phone from the nightstand. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I think I’ve got everything,” Nini answered, slipping on a coverup before shouldering her large canvas bag containing all of their pool essentials. </p><p> </p><p>“Milady,” Ricky said, holding his arm out for her to take hold of. </p><p> </p><p>“Milord,” Nini responds, wrapping her right hand around his bicep as they walked out of the door and to the elevator. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The pool was <em> beautiful</em>; it was massive and looked more like a lake than a pool, but the water was the perfect temperature and the seating looked comfortable and Nini felt like she’d found heaven. </p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit,” Ricky breathed out in shock when his eyes landed on the pool. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Nini said, matching his tone. Not wanting to waste another second, she squeezed the hand that was still wrapped around his bicep and led him over to a quiet area with no one else around them. </p><p> </p><p>“You in the mood for a drink?” she asked as she let go of his arm and set her belongings down on her selected lounge chair, right before Ricky pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his incredibly sculpted body.</p><p> </p><p>All she could do was stare; they’d known each other since freshman year of college and somehow she’d never seen him shirtless, but,<em> boy </em>was it a sight to see. </p><p> </p><p>She was only broken out of the trance when Ricky made his way back over to her and grabbed her shoulders. “Neens? You with me?”</p><p> </p><p>Shivering involuntarily at the proximity and his warm touch, she nodded her head, ignoring the heat radiating through her body, and said, “Yeah, sorry. What did you say?”</p><p> </p><p>Giving her a funny look, he smiled bemusedly at her and replied in a slower, even voice, “I said a drink sounds great.”</p><p> </p><p>“Anything in particular you want?”</p><p> </p><p>“Surprise me,” he said with a playful wink, only making her cheeks burn brighter. Not trusting herself and the words that would come out her mouth, she nodded once more and quickly backed away from his embrace and scurried over to the bar. </p><p> </p><p>Once she reached the bar under an awning not too far from their spot by the pool, Nini tapped her fingers nervously against the bar top and tried to get a hold of herself. <em> Get it together, Nini. This isn’t a real honeymoon and Ricky doesn’t even like you, </em>she mused to herself just as the bartender walked into her line of vision. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi there, miss. What can I get for you?” he said politely, wiping down an empty glass with a clean white rag. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi, can I get a sex on the beach and a strawberry daiquiri?” Nini asked, her fingers still drumming nervously against the counter. </p><p> </p><p>“Coming right up,” he replied before busying himself with the drinks. </p><p> </p><p>While her drinks were being made, Nini took a chance to fully appreciate the moment alone and take in her incredible surroundings. But of course, her momentary peace was cut short by a vaguely familiar voice. </p><p> </p><p>“Nina Salazar-Roberts, is that you?” she heard from behind her after a few long moments of marveling at an oblivious Ricky. </p><p> </p><p>Turning around to acknowledge the person, Nini was surprised to see one of the girls from an acting class she took during her sophomore year of college standing before her. “Emily Pratt?”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought that was you! How’ve you been, girl?” she asked in an enthusiastic voice, bringing her hands up to clutch at Nini’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, yeah, I’ve been good. What about you?” Nini answered politely, not really in the mood to chat it up with the girl who thought she was better than everyone else in class all those couple of years ago. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, just fabulous, Nina. My husband, Isaac, made it big with some hotshot tech company so I’m rich,” she exclaimed with a haughty, snobbish laugh. </p><p> </p><p>Letting out her best fake laugh, Nini just smiled—which looked more like a grimace but it’s not like Emily knew the difference—and responded, “That’s great to hear, Emily. Good for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, well, what about you Nina? You’ve gotten hitched yet?” Emily questioned, her judgmental eyes traveling to Nini’s bare left hand. </p><p> </p><p>“Hm? Oh, I—,” Nini started to say but was cut short by yet another vaguely familiar voice.</p><p> </p><p>“Mrs. Bowen?” the voice called out before the person in question stopped right in front of her, Nini recognizing her as the receptionist that checked them in earlier. “I’m so sorry for the interruption. We forgot to give you the code to your room’s safe and we tried calling your room multiple times to get a hold of you or your husband but we couldn’t reach you. So here,” she finished, handing Nini a small piece of paper with the safe’s four-digit code.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, thank you so much. You didn’t have to go through all of that trouble,” Nini replied graciously, giving the receptionist a friendly, genuine smile, completely forgetting the presence of Emily right by her. </p><p> </p><p>“It was no problem, Mrs. Bowen. Have a wonderful day.” And with that, the receptionist gave Nini one last smile, eyes darting to Emily for a moment, before she turned around and made her way back to the lobby.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Mrs. Bowen?</em>” Emily questioned with a disbelieving edge to her words, startling Nini, as she forgot her old classmate was still there.</p><p> </p><p>“I…yeah, I just got married the other day. I’m on my honeymoon right now,” Nini lied. There was no use denying it at this point; Emily had clearly heard the receptionist call her by a last name that wasn’t her own.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, wow,” Emily gasped, face full of obvious shock, as if the idea of Nini getting married was so utterly unfathomable. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” Nini said, squaring her shoulders and puffing her chest ever-so slightly, feeling like she had something to prove. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d really like to take my drinks and get back to my husband.” With that, Nini backed away from the girl, turning to the bar and smiling at the bartender as he handed her the two drinks. Just as Nini turned her back to Emily, eager to get away from her and back to Ricky, Emily’s hand landed on her shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>“Wait, Nina,” the other woman called out, using her hand to turn Nini back around to face her. “Let’s have dinner one night. You bring your husband and I’ll bring mine.”</p><p> </p><p>Not quite processing her request, Nini responded, “Yeah, sure. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve really got to go.” </p><p> </p><p>“Perfect. I’ll see you soon,” Emily said loudly as Nini walked away from her, heading back to her lounge chair where Ricky was waiting.</p><p> </p><p>Only when she was halfway back to her seat from the bar did Emily’s words finally register in Nini’s brain. Had she <em> really </em> just agreed to go to dinner with a woman she couldn’t stand, all the while pretending the man she was supposed to hate but instead was secretly a little in love with was her actual husband?</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all so much for reading! It’s been so much fun to write and I’m excited for what’s next! Let me know what you guys think (comments are the best motivators) and I hope you all have an amazing day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone!!</p><p>Just wanted to let you all know that the chapters from here on out will be shorter than the first chapter. Originally, I was going to make this one super long one shot but decided to split it into chapters when I reached a good stopping point, so that’s why the first chapter will be exceptionally longer than any of the other ones. </p><p>Anyway, all mistakes are mine and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Shit, shit, shit, shit, <em> shit,</em>” Nini repeated to herself as she took her sweet time walking back over to where Ricky was lazing peacefully in his comfy lounge chair. In a split second decision that would buy her just a little more time, Nini stopped in her tracks and downed her entire strawberry daiquiri in one large gulp before scurrying back to the bar and sheepishly asking the bartender to make her another. </p><p> </p><p><em> Okay, think Nini, </em> she sighed to herself. <em> Do you mention the possible dinner date to Ricky and likely make it awkward between the two of you…or do you pray to every shooting star that you don’t run into Emily again this week and never tell Ricky about the potential of a completely disastrous dinner?  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yeah, there’s no way you’re telling him. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Just as she made up her mind, the bartender delicately set her new drink on the bar in front of her, wearing a sympathetic sort of smile, probably easily sensing her distress. </p><p> </p><p>Throwing him a smile in thanks, Nini steeled herself and hightailed it back to Ricky, his sex on the beach in her right hand and her strawberry daiquiri in her left. </p><p> </p><p>With a little bit of liquid courage and a plastered smile on her face to cover up her inner turmoil over the whole Emily situation, Nini finally made her way back to where Ricky was lounging about, taking a quick second to admire his figure while his eyes were closed. </p><p> </p><p>Clearing her throat lightly to get his attention, she passed him his drink. As he took a hesitant sip of the unknown drink with a curious smile on his face, Nini said, “Figured you’d like sex on the beach.”</p><p> </p><p>By the way Ricky choked loudly on his drink, that was probably the last sentence he expected to hear come out of Nini’s mouth. After composing himself ever-so slightly, he looked over at Nini as he cleared his throat, pleased to see he wasn’t the only one embarrassed by her words—if her pink tinged cheeks were anything to go by—and teased, “You offering me sex on the beach, princess? Didn’t think you’d be into that.”</p><p> </p><p>Though her cheeks now burned bright red, she wasn’t going to let me have the last laugh so she teased right back, “So what if I was, handsome? You offering to help a girl out?”</p><p> </p><p>It was once again Ricky’s turn to be embarrassed, used to Nini’s usual banter but utterly <em>not</em> used to her incredibly flirty banter. And boy, was it <em>hot. </em>“I’m sure I could show you a good time,” Ricky answered, gone was the sassy, fun lilt in his voice, now replaced by a slight sincerity and softness that Nini was slowly becoming accustomed to.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t doubt it,” Nini admitted, her eyes twinkling as a shy smile graced her lips. </p><p> </p><p>They stared softly at each other for a few long moments before Ricky took another sip of his drink and curiously questioned, “Hey, what took so long with the drinks? I was starting to get a little worried; you were gone for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>Her heart warming at his comment about being worried for her, she just smiled and fibbed, “Oh, you know, the bartender took a while to take my order and make the drinks. No big deal. Nothing to worry about.”</p><p> </p><p>His slightly skeptical facial expression told Nini that her lie might not have been convincing enough but instead of questioning her, he just smiled and amusedly said, “Well, thank you anyway. I do love me some sex on the beach.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’m sure you do, wonder boy. I’m sure you do,” Nini responded, taking a sip of her second strawberry daiquiri to cover up the huge smile threatening to overtake her face. </p><p> </p><p>They spent a little less than an hour in comfortable silence, just listening to the sounds of tropical music playing from the hotel speakers and the minimal splashing from the pool. After their second round of drinks—well, third for Nini, but Ricky didn’t need to know that—Ricky started to get a little stir crazy in his lounge chair and began impatiently poking Nini’s arm as she laid in peace, much like an impatient child would do to their parents. When she ignored him in favor of soaking in the rays of the evening sun, Ricky began whining.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Nini</em>,” he started, drawing out the letters of her name as he pouted, “will you <em> please </em>come in the pool with me? Please?” </p><p> </p><p>The moment she opened her eyes to see those damned puppy eyes, Nini knew she was a goner. </p><p> </p><p>But she wouldn’t go down without a fight.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Ricky</em>,” she whined right back, matching his tone perfectly, “what if I don’t want to go in the pool? I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m the time of my life just laying here, getting my tan on.”</p><p> </p><p>“‘Time of your life’? Yeah, right, Nini,” he huffed and began poking her arm even more when she refused to budge. </p><p> </p><p>“Not all of us act like excitable toddlers who just <em> have </em>to be doing something at all times,” Nini argued, though she could feel herself giving in with each passing second. “Just go in the pool by yourself, tough guy. You’re a big boy; you can go in without parental supervision, can’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“But Nini,” he whined with a smirk on his face, “it would be so much more fun if you were there with me. Please, please, <em> please</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“Damnit,” Nini grumbled under her breath after a few still seconds, “fine, Ricky. Just let me finish my drink first and then we’ll go in.”</p><p> </p><p>But he had been quite patient enough already, at least in his eyes, so once she took a long sip and placed her half empty drink back down, he quickly rose from his chair and swooped down to Nini’s level, grabbing her with one hand on her back and one hand under her thighs, throwing her over his shoulder in one swift motion. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Ricky</em>,” Nini screeched loudly into his ear, a few laughs escaping from her without permission. She began weakly hitting his back with her balled up fists as they made their way towards the edge of the pool, though Ricky wasn’t fazed in the slightest by the action. </p><p> </p><p>Right as they stood at the edge of the pool, near the semi-deep end, Ricky maneuvered Nini in his arms until her legs were wrapped around his torso and her face was inches from him.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi,” he murmured, a dazzling smile on his face as he appreciated the brunette beauty in his arms. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” she said back with a happy sigh, though not without a brief but playful roll of the eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry I kidnapped you. Desperate times call for desperate measures, princess,” he teased, though his face was one of mock-seriousness. </p><p> </p><p>“I guess it’s fine,” Nini jokingly huffed before smiling softly at him. </p><p> </p><p>“You ready?” Ricky asked, his grip on her body tightening minimally. </p><p> </p><p>“As I’ll ever be,” Nini answered confidently, a bright smile on her face as she waited for him to jump. </p><p> </p><p>“Here we go,” he shouted before jumping in, holding Nini tightly to his chest as they plunged into the refreshingly cool water. As they resurfaced, Nini couldn’t help but giggle at the goofy boy in front of her as she moved her arms to wrap around his neck, mirroring her legs around his torso, everything but their heads and the tops of the shoulders out of the water. </p><p> </p><p>“Missing your drink right about now?” Ricky asked with an amused smile, his now slightly tamed curls sticking adorably to his forehead, making him look years younger somehow. </p><p> </p><p>“Of course I’m missing my drink,” she responded with a laugh. “But I think I’m happy right here.” She shyly averted his gaze, not wanting him to see her slightly rose-colored cheeks. </p><p> </p><p>Bringing one of his hands up from its spot under her thighs, he gently hooked his fingers under her chin and lifted her head until their eyes locked. “Yeah?” he questioned, just as shyly as her. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Nini confirmed, a content sigh escaping her lips as she stared openly at him. </p><p> </p><p>They spent a few long moments looking at each other, slowly leaning their faces closer and closer before the sound of someone doing a cannonball nearby startled them out of their haze.</p><p> </p><p>Unlatching her legs and arms quickly from his body as if she’d been burned, Nini cleared her throat and averted his gaze for a long moment before smirking and saying, “Race you to the shallow end.” Before he could make a move, Nini quickly sped away from him, splashing him in the face with water as she went. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it’s on now<em> , </em>princess,” Ricky shouted, a deep laugh escaping him as he desperately tried to catch up with her.</p><p> </p><p>And that’s how they spent the next couple of hours: racing each other from deep end to shallow end until they were out of breath (which Nini usually won), having intense splashing wars (which Ricky usually won), and just enjoying each other’s company, trying to ignore the moment they shared earlier when they almost kissed. Soon enough, their fingers and toes were a little too pruney for comfort and they both made their way back to their lounge chairs in good spirits, despite how exhausted they both were.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” Nini said as she settled back into her chair, the warmth of the sun pleasantly enveloping her chilled body, “is there something you wanted to do tonight?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, we’ve got about an hour until sunset. Want to just relax on the beach for a while and then go grab dinner after the sun goes down?” Ricky suggested.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds perfect to me.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Everything about their surroundings seemed like it came out of a painting. The white sand on the beach was soft against their fingers and toes, the deep blue waves crashed softly against the shore with ease, the breeze from the sea was just cool enough for comfort, and the sky was filled with vibrant oranges, yellows, reds, and pinks as the sun made its farewell for the day. </p><p> </p><p>Nini was completely enamored by the scene in front of her; spending her whole life in Salt Lake City, she never really got to witness the aestically pleasing moment when the sun disappeared behind the line where the sky met the sea.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s beautiful,” Nini sighed wistfully as she pulled her legs close to her chest and laid her chin on her sandy knees, physically unable to take her eyes off of the sunset strictly due to its pure beauty. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Ricky whispered in agreement, looking directly at the stunning view sitting to his left with her shoulder pressed into his own rather than the equally stunning view in front of him, “beautiful.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Dinner was a peaceful affair. After the sun had fully set, Nini had gotten up from her spot in the sand before standing in front of him and holding out her hands for him to take, telling him she’d found a nice place for them to have dinner a short walking distance away from their hotel.</p><p> </p><p>Being later than most people would typically eat dinner, the quaint restaurant was quiet with only two or three other couples or groups with them in the room. Ricky and Nini spent the time reminiscing about their childhoods over their delicious Italian meals; Ricky told stories about growing up with divorced parents, his mom living in Chicago while he and his dad lived in Colorado and Nini told stories of growing up with her moms in Utah, meeting Gina in elementary school, and then eventually finding the rest of their friend group in high school and college.</p><p> </p><p>The atmosphere was lighthearted and relaxed, something both Ricky and Nini were thankful for; after a long day of plane rides, settling into things at the hotel, and mentally preparing themselves for the week to come, the duo was glad that things had started to wind down for them so that they could finally start enjoying their vacation. </p><p> </p><p>Things were so relaxed for them that during their walk back to the hotel from the restaurant, Ricky quickly and quietly slipped his right hand in Nini’s left and was met with an exhausted but impossibly bright smile from the small brunette.</p><p> </p><p>Their hands stayed locked throughout the rest of the walk home and remained that way when they finally made it back to the hotel. The duo had never felt more at ease with each other than in those moments, sharing soft, adoring smiles with each other while their cheeks remained permanently dusted pink. It was funny to think that just a few days ago, the two hadn’t been able to spend more time than strictly necessary together without almost killing each other and now…now, they didn’t even want to <em> think </em> about letting each other go.</p><p> </p><p>As they passed through the lobby on the way to the elevators, they passed the familiar blonde receptionist from earlier and gave her friendly smiles and waves. </p><p> </p><p>“Have a wonderful rest of the day, Mr. and Mrs. Bowen. Good night,” the benign woman said kindly, causing both of them to remember that they were supposed to be acting like a married couple throughout their vacation. </p><p> </p><p>“You too,” Ricky paused, looking at the name tag on the receptionist’s collared shirt, “Lucy.”</p><p> </p><p>With one last smile exchanged between the trio, Ricky and Nini continued on their way towards the elevators, more than ready to collapse in bed and sleep their exhaustion away. </p><p> </p><p>“You want to take a shower first?” Nini asked Ricky as he pressed the button for their floor level.</p><p> </p><p>“No, you can take it first. I think you might collapse if you don’t hurry up and get to bed as fast as possible,” Ricky chuckled, looking down at the girl who was still holding tightly onto his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“You sure?” Nini questioned just as she let out a rather loud yawn.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure, Nini,” Ricky responded amusedly, shaking his head and smiling.</p><p> </p><p>When they arrived at their room, Nini reluctantly let go of Ricky’s hand, immediately missing the warmth and comfort it brought her, and gathered everything she needed for her shower. And when she finished her nighttime routine, she collapsed roughly onto her side of the bed and let out a satisfied groan at the feeling of the overly comfortable mattress under her worn body.  </p><p> </p><p>Chuckling to himself at her antics, Ricky climbed out of bed and grabbed his stuff for the shower before saying, “Neens, I'll be in the shower, okay?” When he was met with a soft grunt of acknowledgement and a wave of a hand from Nini, he smiled to himself once more and headed towards the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>Surprisingly, by the time Ricky emerged from his shower, Nini was still awake, absently scrolling through something on her phone instead of sleeping like he thought she would be doing. </p><p> </p><p>At the sound of footsteps, Nini looked up from her phone and smiled tiredly at Ricky. “Hi.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I thought you’d be asleep by now,” Ricky admitted, putting his dirty clothes back in his suitcase before making his way to his side of the bed, plugging his phone into the charger and setting it on the nightstand as he laid down. </p><p> </p><p>Nini just shrugged and said, “My shower kind of woke me up a little.” She then plugged her phone into her charger and put it on her nightstand before turning off her table lamp and snuggling deep into the bed’s stark white covers.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky too turned his lamp off and crawled under the covers, an acceptable distance between their bodies. Even through the darkness, Ricky could make out Nini’s soft smile and her drooping eyes as her exhaustion hit her.</p><p> </p><p>“Good night, Nini,” Ricky whispered, taking one last look at the brunette before closing his eyes, still facing her.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, after a few quiet moments, the sound of rustling sheets interrupted the silence of the room and Ricky felt Nini shift right next to him on his side of the bed, turning her back to him and backing up until Ricky was delicately spooning her petite body. Nini silently grabbed his right hand and pulled at it until his whole right arm laid across her waist, only lacing their fingers together when she was fully wrapped in his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“Good night, Ricky,” she sighed happily, fully relaxing in his arms and falling asleep within seconds. </p><p> </p><p>Smiling softly with his eyes still closed, Ricky placed an incredibly tender kiss to the back of the sleeping girl’s head before succumbing to his exhaustion and falling into a deep, dream-filled slumber. </p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I almost gave you guys a kissing scene in this chapter but I took it out mainly because I’m mean like that and also because it would’ve progressed the story a little too fast lol. But thank you for reading! Let me know what you guys thought; I‘d love to hear what you all think of it so far! :)</p><p>Stay safe and have a blessed day!</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone!</p><p>I apologize for the wait! All of my motivation has gone to summer work for school instead of my writing :/</p><p>This chapter is short and sweet, basically a filler chapter to get the ball rolling, but I hope you like it nonetheless!</p><p>Anyway, all mistakes are mine. Enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Time seemed to move faster in Hawaii. One moment, Ricky and Nini were arriving at their hotel, eyes filled to the brim with hope and unadulterated excitement and the next moment, almost their whole vacation had passed them by, leaving them with only three more days on the gorgeous island. </p><p> </p><p>Their blink-of-an-eye days were spent making the absolute best memories between the two of them: for instance, there was the time they went swimming with the dolphins, and the day they rented bicycles and explore more of the island, and the nights they spent in the hot tub, sipping their drinks and just talking, and the mornings they woke up in each other’s arms, sporting sleepy smiles and extremely endearing cases of bed head. </p><p> </p><p>Throughout the whole trip and all the memories they made, Nini realized just how hard she had fallen for Ricky—for the second time in her life—to the point where she questioned at least twelve times a day why she had ever let her petty grudge get the best of her and keep her from getting to know Ricky all those years ago. And Ricky felt the same way: each day, he fell exponentially more in love with the brunette beauty and internally cursed his past self for ever acting the way he did towards Nini. </p><p> </p><p>And to think, if a couple of years ago, they had actually tried talking instead of throwing insults and jabs at each other, they could’ve moved past being best friends and become boyfriend and girlfriend.</p><p> </p><p>But that was long behind them, and both Ricky and Nini preferred to not dwell in the past as much as they could and instead enjoy the present; and that’s exactly what both of them did throughout their vacation. </p><p> </p><p>And because of it, Ricky and Nini were the happiest they’d been in <em> years, </em>all thanks to each other. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>After having spent the entire day at the beach, under the crystal clear sky and the bright, inviting sunshine, Nini and Ricky were more than ready to wind down for the evening by relaxing in the pool with drinks in their hands. </p><p> </p><p>And they were having a good time doing just that, the evening including a dash of shameless flirting between the two, a hint of drinking their delicious margaritas (Nini’s choice), a pinch of eyeing each other appreciatively in their respective swimsuits, and a cup of soaking in the calm atmosphere of their island vacation. </p><p> </p><p>That was, until Emily Pratt—with her ever impeccable timing—showed up. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky was in the middle of lightly brushing his fingers through Nini’s wind tangled hair as she closed her eyes and laid her head on her arms along the edge of the pool when they heard a near glass shattering squeal from across the pool. </p><p> </p><p>Startled out of their lovestruck and utterly relaxed haze, they turned their heads to investigate where and what the sound came from and when Nini recognized Emily as the owner of the sound, she groaned loudly and dropped her forehead heavily onto one of Ricky’s shoulders, muttering incoherent curses and sighing deeply. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky turned his attention back to the brunette and began to question with a confused, “Nin—,” when he was interrupted by a blonde woman he didn’t recognize. </p><p> </p><p>“Nina, darling, it’s wonderful to see you again,” Emily exclaimed in an overly fake and cheery voice as she made her way towards them, not seeming to mind that Nini’s face was still stuffed into Ricky’s shoulder. Turning her attention to the curly-headed boy, she eyed Ricky suspiciously up and down and said, “And who might you be, tiger?”</p><p> </p><p>Still as confused as ever, he opened his mouth to question the blonde stranger and her knowledge of Nini when the brunette suddenly moved her head from his shoulder and brought her lips up to his ear. “Just go with it,” she whispered before planting a barely-there kiss to the spot below his ear—momentarily catching the both of them by surprise—and turning her head towards Emily with an unauthentic smile on her face. “Emily, this is my husband, Ricky. Ricky, baby, this is Emily. We had an acting class in college together.”</p><p> </p><p>It was lost on Ricky how he’d become Nini’s husband to anyone other than the hotel staff, but as Nini’s whisper moments earlier rang through his head, he decided he didn’t care; all he really cared about was getting to pretend to be Nini’s husband, even for just a little bit. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi, Emily. Nice to meet you,” Ricky responded politely with a smile as he slid his arm across Nini’s bare back and pulled her flush against his side, taking satisfaction in the tiny squeak she let out and the barely there blush that bloomed on her tanned cheeks. </p><p> </p><p>At the display of affection, Emily cooed loudly and pretended to wipe tears from her eyes before she suddenly gasped, her eyes lighting up as she began to clap and jump up and down in her spot along the edge of the pool. “Let’s have that dinner we’d talked about, Nina! Issac and I are free tonight so why don’t you two join us for a meal? Meet you in the lobby at 7?”</p><p> </p><p>When Ricky turned to his “wife” with ginormous, questioning, and slightly panicked eyes, Nini just laughed nervously, eyes darting between her “husband” and her former classmate, before hesitantly nodding her head. “Y-yeah,” she agreed weakly, clearing her throat before continuing, “yeah, um, we’ll try to make it.”</p><p> </p><p>Seemingly oblivious to the duo’s reluctance and slight panic, Emily let out another horrendously high-pitched squeal and declared, “Perfect. See you two lovebirds there.” And with that, she walked off before either one of them could get another word in. </p><p> </p><p>A stunned and complemplative silence stretched between Ricky and Nini after Emily’s retreat; Ricky not knowing quite what was happening anymore and Nini not quite believing she’d just agreed to spend a whole meal—or, in other words, precious and valuable time that she could be spending with Ricky—with one of the people she loathed most in the world. </p><p> </p><p>“You, uh,” Ricky started, clearing his throat after his throat came out a bit hoarse, “you mind telling me what’s going on, princess?”</p><p> </p><p>With a resigned sigh, she took one look at Ricky’s nonplussed eyes before dropping her head back to his shoulder, this time slotting her face in the fold of his water-soaked neck, and muttering an exhausted, “<em>Fuck</em>.”</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like each chapter update gets worse and worse (there’s a reason all of my other fanfics are one shots lol) but whatever! I’m not about to leave this story unfinished! And I really have loved writing it!</p><p>But anywho, I’d like to give a big thank you for all of you that have stuck around and read this story! It means a lot to me :) Let me know what you guys thought and I’ll see you all next time ♥️</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everyone!</p><p>It’s been a while, hasn’t it?</p><p>I first want to say a huge thank you to all of you for being so patient with me! I desperately needed a break from writing this and you guys gave me that break without any complaints, so thank you, truly. </p><p>Second, when writing this fourth chapter, I kind of unconsciously created some plot holes within in first three chapters and instead of rewriting this chapter, I went back and tweaked a few details from the first three chapters. That being said, I highly recommend you go back and read (or just skim tbh) those chapters to tie up some loose ends in this chapter. But don’t feel like you have to though; it’s just my suggestion. :)</p><p>Enough from me! Any and all mistakes are mine and I sincerely hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Neens, you okay?” Ricky tried asking as he felt the brunette girl shake her head within the crook of his neck and mutter curses over and over again. “Hey, seriously…Nini?”</p><p> </p><p>With one last hefty sigh, Nini lifted her head from the boy and looked miserably at him. “No, I’m not okay. The girl who I despised in college is now wanting us to have a lengthy dinner with her and her husband and we’re supposed to sit through it and act like we’re happily married. So, no, Ricky, I’m really not okay.”</p><p> </p><p>If it was possible, Ricky pulled Nini’s body even closer to his own. “Nini,” he started with a half-amused, half-earnest sigh, “I think you and I can survive one awkward dinner while pretending to be married, yeah? We know each well enough to answer any of their questions and you’ll have me right by your side whenever you need me. We can handle this.”</p><p> </p><p>After a momentary pause filled with an air of hopefulness and hesitancy, she asked, “You really think so?” </p><p> </p><p>“Totally,” Ricky smirked. “For now, though? Let’s just relax for a little while.” His smirk eased into a soft smile and he gently let go of his hold of Nini, only to twirl her around in the pool, taking satisfaction in the giggles she let out. </p><p> </p><p>“We do make one hell of a married couple, don’t we?” Nini said with a little laugh, enjoying their impromptu pool slow dance. </p><p> </p><p>“We sure do, princess.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Soon enough, Ricky and Nini had to leave the pool to go get ready for their double date, much to their chagrin. </p><p> </p><p>The two found themselves in a little bubble of bliss as they got dolled up. Glances were stolen in the bathroom mirror, smiles were exchanged whenever they happened to pass by each other, and an easy silence filled the space as they both prepared themselves for the forthcoming dinner. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, Ricky finished his bathroom routine and was exiled to the living space to finish getting dressed thanks to Nini, who squestered herself in the spacious bathroom to get dressed and finish her hair and makeup. </p><p> </p><p>His banishment out of the bathroom was worth it in the end, though.  </p><p> </p><p>The moment Nini stepped out of the bathroom was like a scene out of a movie. Time practically slowed down, wind seemed to come out of nowhere, and a spotlight gleamed on Nini as she left the confines of their honeymoon suite. Ricky felt his cheeks go hot in an instant; she looked <em> beautiful. </em>She wore a sleek, satin, burnt orange dress that showed off her vacation-tanned body. Her long, hazelnut hair was perfectly curled and flowed down her semi-exposed back with ease, making Ricky want to reach out and endlessly brush through it. Her makeup was simple but classy, highlighting the girl’s natural beauty and features. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky was simply awestruck. </p><p> </p><p>And yet, unbeknownst to him, Nini was in a similar situation across the room. </p><p> </p><p>The moment she opened the bathroom door and her eyes landed on her curly-haired crush, she knew she was completely and definitely an absolute goner. He looked unbelievably handsome in his charcoal grey dress pants and patterned, short sleeved button-up. His curls laid perfectly situated on top of his head—except for the one curl in the front that <em> always </em> sprang free—and he looked completely relaxed and carefree; well, until he finally noticed her. </p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit,” he whispered rather loudly as he stared openly at her, causing her to blush furiously, though she’d argue that it was just her sunburn. He got up slowly from the sofa he was seated on, eyes never leaving her as he made his way closer to her. “Nini,” he said breathlessly when he finally reached her, “Nini, you look <em> beautiful</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>The blush of her cheeks only intensified. “Thank you,” she whispered just as breathlessly. “And you look…meh.”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t even have it in him to look offended; instead he smiled in amusement, remembering her telling him those exact words at their Gina and EJ’s wedding, and huffed a breathless little laugh. </p><p> </p><p>Delighted at his reaction, she smiled and moved closer to him to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt. “No, no, I’m kidding. You look…you look <em> unbelievably </em>handsome,” she said, out of breath from the sheer intensity of his gaze on her and his presence in front of her. </p><p> </p><p>Her words did not register in his brain though; he just continued to stare and appreciate the women he had always been deeply in love with. She couldn’t bring herself to stop staring either. </p><p> </p><p>There was a moment there where Nini was sure Ricky was going to tilt his head down and kiss her, which she would happily accept, but then he finally got his bearings together and cleared his throat, which, too, shook Nini out of her stupor. “You, uh,” he cleared his throat for a second time before continuing, “you ready to go?” </p><p> </p><p>“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she responded, sneaking one last appreciative glance at him before grabbing her phone and purse. When she turned back around, she saw him waiting for her, watching her. </p><p> </p><p>With a goofy smile, he held out his arm for her to take. “Milady?” he said, eyes never leaving her. </p><p> </p><p>“Milord,” she chimed back, grabbing on tightly to his arm and savoring the comfort of his body pressed against hers as they made their way out of the door and towards what was sure to be an eventful night. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The moment Nini exited the elevator with Ricky and was met with the ungodly screech of her name from Emily across the resort lobby, she knew she was in for a <em> long </em>night. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m begging you to put me out of my misery,” Nini grumbled lowly to Ricky, burying her face into his bicep in hopes that the world would suddenly disappear around her until it was just her and Ricky left over. </p><p> </p><p>“Not a chance, babe. This is free entertainment right here,” Ricky smirked, laughing even more when she grumbled even louder and playfully hit his stomach in retaliation. </p><p> </p><p>“I hate you,” she muttered miserably, but lifted her face from his bicep to flash him a small smile, letting him know that she actually didn’t mean those words anymore. </p><p> </p><p>“You love me,” he retorted, refusing to think too much into it when her smile widened and she glanced quickly at his lips. Their bubble was burst by yet another shrill shout from the blonde she-devil. </p><p> </p><p>“Nina! Ricky! Oh, it’s so lovely to see you two,” Emily exclaimed in greeting as she ran towards them, planting kisses on each of their cheeks as she gave them hugs. </p><p> </p><p>“Emily, hi,” Nini responded, already sounding—and feeling—worn-out and exhausted. For her troubles, Ricky simply squeezed her a little tighter, not enough for it to be uncomfortable but enough to remind her that he was there for her, that he was right by her side. “Where’s your husband?” she asked politely. </p><p> </p><p>“He’s just getting a quick drink. He’ll be back in just a minute,” Emily answered, waving Nini’s question off and walking away from them and through the lobby without another word. Following a lost look and a shrug of the shoulders from Ricky, Nini reluctantly dragged the two of them through the lobby, falling a safe distance behind Emily as she looked around the large resort and locked eyes on her husband. “You two lovebirds wait right here,” she cooed at them, going so far as to tap Nini on the nose, before stalking off towards her wayward husband. </p><p> </p><p>“This is going to be hell,” Nini whispered, or rather hissed, to Ricky, as if he needed a reminder of how much she <em> loathed </em>agreeing to the dinner. </p><p> </p><p>Moving his arms to wrap them around her tanned back and trap her in a tight hug, he nodded and said, “Can’t say I disagree with you.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Soon enough, after Emily had wrangled her husband, Isaac, away from the bar, the four of them decided on the best place to eat and sat down, Ricky and Nini gearing themselves up for a long night. </p><p> </p><p>Before either of them could get properly settled and look over their dinner menus, Emily launched into her first question. </p><p> </p><p>“So, how did you two meet, tiger?” she asked rather abruptly, the question clearly directed at Ricky. </p><p> </p><p>He only gave himself a second to feel surprised at the speed and weight of the question before he set down his menu and indulged her. “We met at the very beginning of college, freshman year. I saw her at orientation and thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on.” He paused in his story to look at the brunette beauty to his left, noticing her slightly bemused but intrigued expression. Flashing her a quick smile, he turned his attention back to the blonde and continued, “We didn’t officially meet until a few weeks later when I bumped into her at a coffee shop right off of campus while she was setting up for a gig. I introduced myself and we got to talking a little until she eventually had to get up on stage to sing. And the moment she opened her mouth and sang the first note, I just knew I was meant to meet her and get to know her better,” He stopped again to look at Nini before saying, “Of course, it took her a little while to warm up to me but I persisted and we became best friends. And eventually, after an embarrassingly long time of flirting and denying our affections for each other, we got together. The rest is history.”</p><p> </p><p>“Adorable,” Emily purred, looking back and forth between the two as they stared shyly at each other, something she found a little strange given that they were married and had no reason to be shy around each other anymore. </p><p> </p><p>But before she got the chance to speak up again and question their actions or ask another personal question, Nini piped up and asked, “And when did you and Isaac meet?”</p><p> </p><p>Emily quickly glanced over at her husband with a look full of love and excitement, but when she was met with the unimpressed face of Isaac as he scowled at the menu, she let out an almost unnoticeable sigh and plastered on a fake smile, her eyes losing their earlier spark. “Senior year of college. We met at a party his fraternity threw, started dating right away, and then got engaged and married a little bit after graduation.” She paused, looking contemplative, causing Ricky and Nini to glance at each other for a second, a hint of sympathy and pity in both of their eyes at the blonde’s suddenly sullen demeanor. “But enough about me,” she laughed nervously, eyes shining slightly in the restaurant light, “I want to hear all about you two!”</p><p> </p><p>Gulping uneasily at the attention being directed back at them, Nini asked, “Um, o-okay. What do you want to hear?” She felt herself slowly start to shake, her nervousness getting the better of her, until she felt the familiar feeling of Ricky’s hand in her own and looked up to see him giving her his most encouraging look.</p><p> </p><p>“C’mon now, everything!” Emily responded with an incredulous laugh, rolling her eyes as if her response was the most obvious answer known to mankind. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, there’s quite a lot to tell,” Ricky said with a chuckle, “but I guess we can start at the very beginning.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The rest of the night went quite pleasantly, at least to Ricky and Nini. </p><p> </p><p>Emily, as it turned out, was excellent company—after they got past the loudness and slight abrasiveness—and the three of them, since Isaac decided he was too good for their conversations, had a wonderful time swapping questions and getting to know each other better. </p><p> </p><p>Nini had complete confidence in her and Ricky’s acting abilities, as it seemed like neither Emily nor Isaac had any idea about the true nature of their relationship. But the sad part was that she was actually starting to care for Emily as a potential friend and felt incredibly guilty for having lied to her for the entirety of the dinner and anytime before. </p><p> </p><p>She was so deep in her guilt-ridden thoughts as she ate her dessert that she missed the other girl’s question completely—that was, until Ricky squeezed her hand for the millionth time that night, this time to get her attention. </p><p> </p><p>“Hm, what?” she asked dazedly, ignoring Ricky’s concerned eyes burning a hole in the side of her face and Emily’s good-natured chuckles from across the table. </p><p> </p><p>“I asked when you knew for certain you were in love with each other. Was there a specific moment when you realized or did it develop over time?” Emily asked curiously, a wistful sort of expression on her face that made Nini feel sort of sorrowful. </p><p> </p><p>Not wanting to dwell on the state of her potential new friend, she turned her gaze to the curly-haired boy on her right and smiled hesitantly, a blush quickly tinting her cheeks. “I guess it sort of happened over time for me. I think I was already halfway in love with him on the day we first met, at that coffee shop,” she answered honestly before pausing, averting her gaze to his shoulder instead of his face as her blush intensified. “But the other half of the love...I guess it came slowly and with time. The more I got to know him, the more I fell for him. Simple as that,” she finished with a shrug, like it was no big deal that she just confessed her true feelings for the boy she had been “enemies” with for so long. She’d never even admitted out loud to anyone, not even Gina and EJ, that she had fallen in love with him immediately upon meeting him, especially not after the dam broke between them all those years ago. But somehow, with the sound of the ocean in the background and the familiar weight of Ricky’s warm hand wrapped around her smaller, colder hand, she felt compelled to be truthful about at least something that night. </p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Ricky was frozen in shock, not knowing if he was dreaming of Nini admitting she’d fallen in love with him or if it was real. When he felt a minuscule move of her hand in his own, he knew it was real; Nini had really just admitted to falling in love with him when they’d first met all those years ago, back when they were the best of friends instead of enemies. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go now,” Ricky chimed, clearing his throat, which compelled Nini to finally lift her eyes from his shoulder back to his own face. “I think mine happened the opposite way. I think I started falling for Nini little by little at the start of our friendship. I remember falling in love with that way she laughed, the way her hair always glistened even without any light, and how much she cared for others and put their needs above her own. Or maybe it was her ambition and drive to achieve a goal she set for herself, or the glimmer she gets in her eyes whenever she’s happy or mischievous, or it’s the way she loves so deeply and fiercely that sometimes it feels like too much. </p><p> </p><p>“Little by little, I fell for those little things about her and then one day, it just hit me that I was impossibly and deeply, <em>deeply </em>in love with her. It was the night of one of her gigs, just like any of our typical Friday nights, but this particular time, she decided to sing her own original songs. And the second she got up on stage and started singing exactly what was on her heart, I knew I was done for. That was the night I officially fell in love with her. And I still fall a little more in love with her each day.”</p><p> </p><p>Immediately, Nini’s eyes began to shine with unshed tears as she looked at him, analyzing him, almost like she was searching for a lie within his story. When she came up with nothing, she let out a shuddering breath and dropped his hand, abruptly standing up. “I’m sorry. I have to go,” she rushed out, voice sounding shaky and thick with tears. Before anyone at the table could react, Nini was gone, sprinting off into the night with no further explanation. </p><p> </p><p>The few seconds of silence that followed her abrupt departure were the most uncomfortable and confusion-filled seconds of Ricky’s life. </p><p> </p><p>Clearing her throat, Emily cast a quick glance at Isaac, who now looked vaguely interested in the drama of it all, before she turned a concerned gaze towards her kind-of friend/former classmate’s husband. “I, uh…well, I don’t know what that was about but Ricky?” She paused, waiting until his now glassy eyes locked with her own worried ones. “Go after her.”</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t need to be told twice. He shot out of his seat faster than Emily thought humanly possible, shouting a quick, “I’m so sorry about this. I’ll catch you later,” before he was off, running in the same direction Nini left. </p><p> </p><p>“That was…interesting,” Isaac piped up after a minute of them both watching Ricky’s retreating figure, grabbing his glass of champagne like everything that just transpired in the last five minutes wasn’t that big of a deal. </p><p> </p><p>Emily just rolled her eyes. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“No, no, no, no, <em> no,</em>” Nini muttered to herself through her tears, running as fast as she could with no destination in mind. When her feet carried her to the beach, she collapsed in a heaping mess in the white sand and let out a rather loud sob, not paying any mind to anything around her. All she could think about was Ricky’s confession. There she was earlier, actually confessing to Ricky the moment she fell for him and he went and made up some bullshit story about falling for her the night she cut off all contact with him. She knew what she saw: she saw the look on his face as she sang her most ardent and heartfelt original song up on that stage, the look of utter disgust and repulsion. There was no way in the fucking world that he fell in love with her that night, not with a look like that on his face as she sang her heart and soul out. </p><p> </p><p>The saddest part was: she wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that there was a point in her life that she was the only girl for Ricky, the one he chose to love, just like he had been the one she’d chosen to love. But, no. He’d clearly lied about that night and about any feelings he may have had for her for the sake of their lies, just to humor Emily. And she knew that for a fact because there was absolutely <em> no way </em> he fell in love with her that gig night. It just wasn’t possible. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Fuck,</em>” she sobbed, clutching at the roots of her hair and clenching her eyes, hoping it would make everything disappear. She’d been so stupid—so stupid to think that anything on this trip was real. That any feelings he may have showed towards her were real and not just for their little white lie. Every touch, every look, every smile has been a ruse. Just an act. All a part of a silly little game to get them a free honeymoon. </p><p> </p><p>She was so deep in her musings, the noise around her being drowned out by her thoughts and her sobs, that she failed to notice Ricky running up behind her on the beach, out of breath and red-faced, much like Nini herself was. </p><p> </p><p>She failed to notice his deep sigh of relief he released upon noticing her balled-up figure in the sand, the pitiful whimper he let out when he finally looked at the state of her being, and his hesitant footsteps as he walked up to her and sat next to her in the sand, lightly resting his left hand on the cold, bare skin of her back. </p><p> </p><p>She felt the contact immediately and flinched away harshly, causing them both to gasp and Ricky to inch away from her after being startled. </p><p> </p><p>“Why are you here?” Nini croaked, making a move to stand up and flee the beach, far away from Ricky and his empty confessions. </p><p> </p><p>“Why did you run off so quickly?” Ricky asked in retaliation, though his words came out soft, full of concern and heartache. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t start this with me, Ricky, please. Just leave me alone,” she begged, looking so pathetic and broken that Ricky almost gave into her wishes. </p><p> </p><p>Almost. </p><p> </p><p>“No, Nini. Tell me what’s going on. Tell me what I did wrong. Don't shut me out anymore,” he pleaded right back, reaching out to hold her hand, but Nini pulled it abruptly out of reach and let out a hefty sob. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Tell you what’s going on? Tell you what you did wrong?</em>” she practically roared in anger and hurt. “I sit there and confess my feelings, <em> pour my heart out </em> and tell both you and Emily how I fell in love with you and all you give is some bullshit answer about the night you knew. Fucking bullshit, Ricky.” And when Ricky opened his mouth to respond, she cut him off with more shouts. “Maybe it’s my fault, ya know? You were obviously just playing into the lie, the lie that I made you continue because I was too scared to tell Emily no. But I was serious about my confession, Ricky. I was serious about already falling in love with you the moment we met in that coffee shop. I was serious about continuing to fall in love with you as you became my best friend in the entire world. And you just…you just lied through the skin of your teeth like it was <em> nothing</em>, Ricky! </p><p> </p><p>“To top it off, you then go and say you fall in love a little more in love with me each day and expect me to <em> believe you</em>? That’s when I knew for a fact that you were lying, Ricky.”</p><p> </p><p>That caused Ricky to explode. “How the <em> hell </em> do you know I was lying, Nini? Who told you that I didn’t fall in love with you the night of that gig, huh? Who told you that I’m not madly in love with you right now, and that I don’t keep falling harder every time I get to see you and spend time with you? <em> Who do you think you are </em> to make those kinds of accusations?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course I know you’re fucking lying, Ricky,” she cried out in anger. “That night at the gig, I was up on that stage, singing songs that <em> I wrote </em> about the boy I was madly in love with, the same boy sitting in that same room and standing in front of me right now, only to find him making the most repulsed and disgusted face I’ve ever seen on a person. <em> How is that supposed to make me feel, Ricky? </em> The moment I got up the courage to make some kind of confession to you, you make a face like it was the most revolting thing you’d ever heard!”</p><p> </p><p>“Nini, what?” all anger gone from Ricky’s voice, leaving only confusion and utter disbelief. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s why I never tried to talk to you again,” she yelled before her voice turned quieter, sounding more exhausted than Ricky had ever heard her before. “I thought you knew how I felt and that was your way of telling me you didn’t want to ever be with me. But I was too madly in love with you to cope with still being your best friend, having to see you every day and act like nothing changed, so I cut you off. I knew it would be better for the both of us in the long run. So, yes, Ricky, I know you were lying. I know you couldn’t have <em> possibly </em> fallen in love with me that night and I don't know where you may have gotten the idea that you keep falling for me every day. It’s just not possible.” By the end of her speech, her voice kept breaking, her chest was heaving, and her vision was starting to blur due to the sheer intensity of her words and feelings. She was too dizzy to notice the tears beginning to well up in the boy’s eyes for the second time that night. </p><p> </p><p>“Nini, you can’t possibly be serious,” Ricky cried, face twisted with too many emotions to identify. When she stayed silent, looking out towards the ocean to avoid his eyes at all costs, he grabbed one of her hands in his own and used his other to turn her face towards, his heart breaking at the tears matted on her sun-kissed cheeks. “Neens, that night at your gig, I did fall in love with you. I never lied about that.” At Nini’s disbelieving scuff and roll of her eyes, he squeezed her hand even harder and pleaded, “I’m serious, Nini. I already knew I loved you but that night changed everything for me. I was so happy to finally know for certain—I knew instantly that the song was for me just from the first verse—but then I overheard two girls and a boy at the table next to me talking shit about you and your songs. So, I told them off, probably scared the living shit out of them.” He paused when Nini let out an almost inaudible, watery giggle; that was all the encouragement he needed to continue. “I was <em> pissed</em>, and reasonably so. You can't just insult the girl I could see myself spending the rest of my life with and not expect me to retaliate,” he heard Nini’s soft gasp at his words but continued to push through, explaining, “that must’ve been the moment you looked over at me, the moment you began singing that part of your song about me. All you saw was me looking disgusted and pissed off at those people, not at you. And I was so ready to tell you how I felt, but then you just stopped talking to me. You gave me the cold shoulder and refused to see me. I guess I thought that I was making everything up in my head, that you knew I was in love with you and that was your way of rejecting me so I just started giving you hell back. If I had known…,” he trailed off, unable to find the right words for how he felt. </p><p> </p><p>They sat in silence for about three long minutes, watching as tears rolled down the other’s face while their hands were still clutched tightly together. </p><p> </p><p>Nini was the one to break the silence. “You really mean that? You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better about my confession?” she asked with a mixture of disbelief, hope, and uncertainty. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky moved both his arms to clutch her face, wiping off a few wayward tears and looking at her deeply in the eyes. “Nini, I meant every single word. I fell in love with you all those years ago and I don't think I’ll ever stop.” </p><p> </p><p>His confession was met with a beaming smile before Nini drew him closer and kissed him.</p><p> </p><p>The kiss was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced. It was filled with years worth of passion, misunderstandings, anger, attraction, affection, and unadulterated love. It made both their heads spin until they were overly dazed and dizzy. </p><p> </p><p>Nini pulled back first, needing to take a breath, and flashed him another megawatt smile as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks, replacing the previously heart broken ones. “I love you, too, Ricky. Always have, always will.” She paused to give me another kiss, this one much more tender and gentle than the first. “Now I’m just upset that we missed out on all of those years,” she said, voice filled with regret and guilt, as if everything that happened between them was solely her fault. </p><p> </p><p>“Nonsense,” Ricky responded, eyes filled with an overflowing amount of love for the girl in front of him. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”</p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Congrats on making it through the chapter LOL!</p><p>I think I want to do an epilogue at some point to wrap up this story and tie up even more loose ends, so if that’s something you’d like, let me know! If not, I think the end of this chapter would be satisfactory enough, right? It’s all up to you guys!!</p><p>Again, thank you for reading! It made me so happy to write and I hope it made you just as happy to read! Be blessed! :)</p>
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